Director's Representation

Alexa Haywood

Tanu Muino brings us the first outstanding British music video event of 2023 with Sam Smith's unabashed, splendidly theatrical and joyfully outrageous video for I'm Not Here To Make Friends.Exuberant,&nbsp;eccentric, and defiantly brazen, this sees Sam Smith dispensing with any last vestige of previous public incarnations and embracing their queer superstar status with gusto - but also with a healthy self-knowing nod and a wink.Sam arrives by helicopter to a historic countryside manor, joining&nbsp;a gregarious crowd to engage is an extravagant costume party for the ages, over an inspirational sample of RuPaul before the disco beat of this surefire smash kicks in. And eyebrows&nbsp;are soon being raised...[imgtoken data:1]There is dancing. There are some extraordinary outfits. There's rowdy behaviour. And there is some very suggestive things going on, including a scene that may possibly be inspired by Frankie Goes To Hollywood's video for Relax!Throughout is the stunning array of costumes and looks, and Sam's playful and sexy performance, which dazzles in every vignette. They are clearly having the time of their lives.&nbsp;Bringing together so many different layers and inspirations - including a knowing nod to Steven Klein's&nbsp;promo for Gaga's Alejandro&nbsp;- the video oozes self-love and an excitable confidence, and is the perfect release to complement Gloria, Smith's just-released new album.It just ticks all the boxes it's supposed to tick - and that is really down to the genius of Tanu Muino. She just knows what a pop video like this should do, and achieved it, from start to finish.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

United Kingdom

Morgan Kennedy

Lane Casting

Ben Reardon

Tanu Muino

Robert Katz

UnderWonder Content

James Hackett

Nikita Kuzmenko

Frank Borin

Fred Bonham Carter

Chris Kelly

Sam Rawlings

Ben Cascillo Roger

Luke Bradley

La Horde

Sorcha O'raghallaigh

Nick Royal

Ryo Narushima

Neil Moodie

Grace Ellington

Miranda Joyce

Vinnie Hobbs

Vh Post

Company 3

Joseph Bicknell

Roma Onufriychuk

Tilt

Ivanna Borin

Alexa Haywood at Free Agent UK

Just Fred

Hannah Cooper

Spencer Graves

Sam Smith 'I'm Not Here To Make Friends' by Tanu Muino

Sam Smith - I'm Not Here To Make Friends

Floria Sigismondi returns to music videos with a theatrical blockbuster for Sam Smith's chart-topping Unholy,&nbsp;featuring Kim Petras.Shot in London, this eye-popping extravaganza&nbsp;is a musical set-piece packed with flair, pizzazz and sexual energy - with Sam as the charismatic MC of a small army of show-people at&nbsp;The Body Shop, the LGBTQ+ cabaret where lustful dreams come true.&nbsp;With cameos by Gottmik and Violet Chachki from RuPaul's Drag Race,&nbsp;and porn star Paddy O'Brian, the film follows a husband who ducks out on his wife and sneaks off to his favorite sex club cabaret, where he soon finds his guilty pleasures revealed in a very public manner. After discovering her husband’s unfaithful ways, the film concludes with the wife character becoming liberated by her own sexuality, rather than a victim to the scandal.A modern retelling of the spectacle of cabaret, Sigismondi&nbsp;has drawn upon her&nbsp;upbringing for this - she was born to Italian opera singer parents, and grew up amid the theatrical and the avant-garde&nbsp;- and applied her&nbsp;trademark cinematic style previously seen in her award-winning work for the likes of Gucci, Rihanna, David Bowie, and Justin Timberlake.Choreographed by French dance collective (LA)HORDE, who are famed for their ability to develop scenarios and actions that take up radically contemporary themes and questions, the seductive music video is a visual feast led by a diverse and queer cast.With references to French surrealist photographer Claude Cahun and noted corset maker of the late 20th Century, Mr. Pearl, the video’s costume designer Lisa Jarvis created an impressive range of otherworldly looks for the enormous ensemble, who were cast&nbsp;by Hannah Ashby Ward at Lane Casting (an LGBTQ+ owned company) to showcase&nbsp;real, diverse and unapologetic bodies.&nbsp;Floria Sigismondi, Director, comments: “I grew up in the world of theatre and opera. This film presented the platform for me to reach deep into that history. It was important to me to bring the theatrics and drama to the film while also giving it a modern feel. We were not interested in creating a period piece. We wanted to create our own world. The theatre and setting gave us the history of cabaret but the costumes broadened that and injected a modern element. For me it's a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and creating that celebration was the most important and joyous experience."Jannie McInnes, Executive Producer at Scheme Engine, adds: “The creative excellence and expression across departments on this project completely blew my mind. Floria sets a high bar, inspires people to bring their most creative selves and she wants everyone to have fun doing it. We are really grateful to Sam and the label for affording us the luxury of real prep time and we used every second of it!”Lisa Jarvis, Wardrobe Stylist, continues: “I've been a fan of Floria's work for quite a while, and as soon as I saw the mood board and heard A Clockwork Orange, Claude Cahun, Mr. Pearl, Crazy Horse, I knew it was right up my alley and would be hella fun to dive into. Taking the references in mind, I wanted to create a world where there was a huge range of visual looks and everyone embraced them. It needed to be otherworldly, opulent, sensual, and a little bit intoxicating to watch with more than a strong twist of naughty.” &nbsp;

Arthur De Boreman

Hannah Ashby Ward

Blake Rice

Lisa Jarvis

Floria Sigismondi

Maurizio Von Trapp

Scheme Engine

Tom Nowell

Jannie McInnes

Aidan Robert Brooks

Amanda Tuckwell

Jac Hopkins

Lami Okrekson

Anna Barnett

Marine Brutti

Arthur Harel

Jonathan Debrouwer

Ilham Mestour

Sienree Du

Anna-maria Negri

Parker Jarvie

Stefan Sonnenfeld

Bonch

Frender

Maren Bjorneseth

Henry Davis

(LA) HORDE

Joel Honeywell

Sam Smith ft Kim Petras 'Unholy' by Floria Sigismondi

Sam-Smith,-Featuring-Kim-Petras--'Unholy-'-by-Floria-Sigismondi

Harry Law pays homage to classic performance videos in his promo for 5 Seconds Of Summer.&nbsp;Drawing inspiration from pop rock videos of the 90’s and&nbsp;early 00’s&nbsp;- from artists such as Oasis, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The All-American Rejects -&nbsp;the video for Me, Myself &amp; I takes place in a dimly lit warehouse, with a motion control camera seamlessly cutting around the different personalities of each band member.&nbsp;The video forms a part of the Australian pop outfit's new vision, which is being conceptualised with a number of other creatives across the board, including creative director Tyler Serebreni.[imgtoken data:1]“Me Myself &amp; I&nbsp;has such an iconic energy to it, getting to capture that feeling visually while the band was on a global world tour was so incredible, it gave us so much to play with," says&nbsp;Serebreni.&nbsp;"We wanted to put a twist on a performance video, focusing on technology while keeping the aesthetic and inspiration of so many iconic early 2000s performance videos, but still grounded and in line with our album campaign."Harry [Law] helped us bring this vision to life perfectly, complex in its simplicity, highlighting the individuality and style of the guys."

Australia

Ash K Halliburton

Tyler Johnston

Harry Law

Andrew Rawson

Other Half

Murren Tullett

Dustin Grant

Cara Scott

Zoe Gunn

Chris Malin

Matt Allsop

Morgan Hall

Joey Choy

Jamie Hodgson

Work Editorial

Nomad

Tyler Serebreni

5 Seconds Of Summer 'Me Myself & I' by Harry Law

5-Seconds-Of-Summer-'Me-Myself-&-I-'-by-Harry-Law

Sam Bailey returns to music videos&nbsp;with this joyful love letter to the Golden Age of film musicals, in his new promo for Metronomy.&nbsp;The band are seen adorned in giant flower headpieces, playing their song Love Factory, while being led by a conductor, and&nbsp;as a vivacious dancer, Majella Fitzgerald,&nbsp;takes centre stage.&nbsp;Majella is the busy Bee, who picks out each Metronomy 'flower', one by one, to 'pollinate' them. And this happens in a splendidly suggestive representation of Nature - choreographed by Supple Nam.&nbsp;From there, the concept launches into full, Golden Age musical mode, as the Bee interacts with each flower, around the stately house that provides the venue of the video, viewing each member through her trippy, multi-imaged 'bee vision.'&nbsp;It's an extremely skilled display of lightly frothy entertainment, that is also clever and subtly alternative in its joie de vivre. In other words, it's&nbsp;very Metronomy.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>The initial idea came from watching bees hopping from bud to bud on a rosemary bush.</blockquote>"From start to finish this music video was huge lumps of fun to make," says Sam Bailey. "The initial idea came from watching bees hopping from bud to bud on a rosemary bush in my garden, indiscriminately having sweet little intimate interactions before moving onto the next one."The flowers became happy little dance partners to the bee as it moved around from station to station, as if on a factory floor. It married up perfectly with Joe's lyrics and the uplifting feel of the track's hazy tone. I was thrilled that the band went for it."Knowing that they often get really involved in the performance side I thought we should challenge them to learn some sweet moves from choreographer Supple Nam, who has a great history of bringing theatricality and levity to his dances. Just look at his work on the Miike Snow promo [for Genghis Khan] by Ninian Doff."Our performers, Majella Fitzgerald and Andrew Lyle-Pinnock [the conductor] come from big tap backgrounds. So we had a lot of fun playing with moves from musicals of 50s Hollywood (White Christmas, Singin’ In The Rain, Let’s Dance...) God, it’s joyful watching dancers move around, exploring ideas, paying homage to Vera Ellen and co. Especially when they’ve got big ol’ Hollywood smiles on. The genre calls for constant smiling, but if I could dance as effortlessly as them (and without wheezing) I’d be smiling too.[imgtoken data:2]<blockquote>We had a ball trying to emulate this era of filmmaking...&nbsp;hard lighting, bright colours and really bumpy camera movements.</blockquote>"All of us behind the camera had a ball trying to emulate this era of filmmaking too. DoP David Wright had all the good ideas on how to capture this. Hard lighting, bright colours and really bumpy camera movements. Apologies to our grip Anthony - I made him loosen up all the tracks every time he’d painstakingly smoothed everything out. I think it looks good though - if you watch some of the tracking shots in Singin’ In The Rain they feel like the camera is being driven round on an ASDA trolley.&nbsp;"The band were unexhaustible. 48 hours before shooting this they had spent a day flying in harnesses for the excellent Right On Time&nbsp;promo by Juliet Casella and Thibaut Ceasar. So they must be awarded with some sort of endurance award. Especially since they aren’t smokers and I had them vaping (nothing toxic) for the pollination shot plates.&nbsp;"I have nothing but thanks to them for trusting the idea and getting stuck in. Same goes for the rest of the team who worked very hard to get this all going six floors up in a central London building with an unapologetically small lift."

Sam Bailey

Ben Pengilly

Natalia Maus

Massimo Filippi

David Wright

Benji Smith

Because Music

Supple Nam

Sophie Cox

Majella Fitzgerald

Steve Wingrove

Jay Whittington

Anthony Ward

Jonny Tully

Fin Sully

Natalie Willis

CHEAT

Indie

Alternative

Rock

Metronomy 'Love Factory' by Sam Bailey

Metronomy-'Love-Factory'-by-Sam-Bailey

Samuel Douek directs an emotional narrative for Tom Walker's Serotonin.&nbsp;Exploring how grief affects a family dynamic, and the bumpy road to forging new relationships with loved ones, the video follows a daughter struggling to connect with her father after the loss of her mum.&nbsp;The video was shot in&nbsp;Teotihaucan, Mexico, an area which relies on the&nbsp;hot air balloon trade, and this aspect of the concept provides the perfect backdrop for the story to take place.&nbsp;Absolutely beautiful to watch, the video captures a rawness within the locations and characters, which contrasts perfectly with the vivid, chromatic textures and materials of the balloons.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Juliette Wileman

Maria Teresa Gamboa

Samuel Douek

Fernanda Preciado

Violeta Films

CAMP Prods

Kat Cattaneo

Paco Quiroz

Angello Faccini

Constanza Pérez

Ana Cardona

Francesca Woods

Irlanda Tapia

Axel Torres

Jorge Rodriguez

Aileen Ruelas

Paulina Martínez

Vania Palafox

Ollie Ireland

Absolute Post

Tom Walker 'Serotonin' by Samuel Douek

Tom-Walker-'Serotonin'-by-Samuel-Douek

UKMVA-winning,&nbsp;Grammy-nominated director Tanu Muino directs pop superstar Harry Styles&nbsp;in his London pomp, in the gorgeous promo for As It Was.&nbsp;Shot across several remarkable London-based&nbsp;locations - including the Barbican estate, Lindley Hall and the penguin enclosure at London Zoo - this wonderfully dreamlike video ushers in a new era for the artist, combining melancholy with an unabashed sense of freedom and a glimmer of hope.&nbsp;The whimsical art direction and blocking of the scenes feels like a golden-age musical - complete with flamboyant styling and an emotional narrative hook.&nbsp;Styles is absorbing to watch, as always, and the video feels immediately iconic, elevated by the teamwork between the UK and Ukrainian crew.[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;

Bryan Younce

Yoann Bourgeois

Carlos Font Clos

Max Colt @ The Frender

Columbia Records

Molly Hawkins

Harry Styles 'As It Was' by Tanu Muino

Harry-Styles-'As-It-Was'-by-Tanu-Muino

Samuel Douek directs a glossy promo for German artist Tashan.&nbsp;Following the cinematic visual for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/02/28/tashan-oprah-samuel-douek/75174">Oprah</a>&nbsp;back in February, the video for Yoga boasts slick visual effects, luxurious styling and a captivating performance, all in just over two minutes of screen time.&nbsp;Celebrating feminine energy and themes of self-empowerment, the video is a confident and assured presentation, and the product placement of the Womanizer stimulator elevates these vibes - and indeed draws parallels with Douek's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/howlworldwide/">own sex-positive brand</a>, which he runs alongside his directing work.&nbsp;

Sachin Gogna

Frankie Willcock

Leo Olesker

Deon Van Zyl

Asia Ahmed

Alasdair Copland

Beau Pritchard James

Justin McGillivray

Cameron Sealby

Furmaan Ahmed

Shanice Francis

Shamara Roper

Simmi Virdee

Myles Bevan

Time Based Arts

Felix Geen

Josha Eiffel

Tashan

Ash Sahota

Warner Music Germany

Tashan 'Yoga' by Samuel Douek

Tashan-'Yoga'-by-Samuel-Douek

Wendy Morgan continues her run of successful collaborations with&nbsp;Lous And The Yakuza, with the dazzling promo for&nbsp;Kisé.&nbsp;Balancing a lo-fi aesthetic with slick performance vignettes, the video plays out like a fashion film, packing a wave of abstract visuals into a super-short timeframe.&nbsp;The transition between nostalgic home-video effects and glossy setups is achieved through match-cuts and a breakneck edit, whilst the experimental layering and frenetic camera movements add a distinctive, textural vibe to the concept.&nbsp;

France

Wendy Morgan

Elena Mottola

Nicole O'connell / Hart Represents

Tilda Bonham Carter

Kash Powell

Pal Berdahl

Yumiko Hikage

Aurore Gibrien

Sam Allen

Luke Morrison

Electric Theatre Collective

Jacob Mendel

Justin Rose

Lous And The Yakuza 'Kisé' by Wendy Morgan

Lous-And-The-Yakuza-'Kisé'-by-Wendy-Morgan

Anthony Byrne directs a heartfelt biographical promo for James Arthur's Emily.&nbsp;Dedicated to his future daughter - if he indeed has one, there are no plans yet apparently - the video is a raw, visceral&nbsp;rollercoaster through love, pregnancy and loss. Byrne brings an authentic and intimate perspective to the concept, whilst overseeing a cinematic and engaging style in the cinematography.The story of Arthur's relationship with his girlfriend, and mother of their unborn child,&nbsp;is given depth by the direction, and the masterly edit by Chris Roebuck - who has also been collaborating with Byrne on the new season of hit TV show&nbsp;Peaky Blinders.

Anthony Byrne

Jamie Ackroyd

Lee Parfitt

Chris Roebuck

Tenthree Editing

Michael Lewin

Sony Music

James Arthur 'Emily' by Anthony Byrne

James-Arthur-'Emily'-by-Anthony-Byrne

Director Charles Mehling captures the intoxicating spirit of Paris for The Rolling Stones’ “Living in the Heart of Love,” the first song released off the 40th anniversary edition of Tattoo You. A hedonistic rock and roll love story set in the City of Light’s most shadowy hours, the monochromatic film serves as the de facto homage to Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who passed away just days after the video wrapped.“Living in the Heart of Love” tracks two female heroes – a modern-day Sid and Nancy (played by actors and real-life couple Nailia Harzoune and Marguerite Thiam Donnadieu) – and a cast of like-minded characters who traverse Paris after-hours, down for whatever magic the night has in store.Known for his ability to capture iconic and sexy yet spontaneous moments, Mehling and his crew, assembled by executive producers Marieke Tricoire (Womanray Paris) and Olivier Gauriat (Barnstormer Productions), took a cinéma vérité approach over the two night-shoot, utilizing gritty, atypical Parisian backdrops and even the director’s own room at Hotel Grand Amour for the interior party shots. Archival footage of the Stones is cleverly interwoven into the scenes of a bacchanalian night to remember - culminating in an adventure that is glamorous, rebellious, and fun to watch.The editing stays in lockstep with Charlie Watts’ swing-and-stomp drumming, channeling the Delta blues by way of Swinging London. The film was given an added stroke of relevance and poignancy by the timing of Watts’ passing just two days after wrapping.Even more so by Mick Jagger’s request to close the film with the words “Charlie is My Darling,” a nod to the 1966 Stones documentary of the same name, written in script over an early morning shot of Sacré-Cœur and the sleeping city below.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Alexa Haywood

Director's Representation

Videos featuring Alexa Haywood

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